Arthur B. Curtis was born in Freeport, Maine in 1854 and trained as a draughtsman; he then moved to Boston and found employment at the American Steam Safe Company and the Damon Safe Company. In 1885, he went into business for himself as a dealer of safes, representing the York Safe and Lock Company of York, Pennsylvania. This safe is painted black with a panel depicting a ship in full sail on the front, while underneath is the address 98 Sudbury Street, Boston, MA. As that was Curtis’s business address beginning in 1885, it seems probable that this was one of the safes he sold from his shop on behalf of York Safe and Lock. By the 1890s, his focus had shifted slightly away from business, as he was twice elected as selectman for Revere and served on numerous town committees. Nonetheless, there are indications that he remained involved with the safe business, as there is a patent registered to an Arthur B. Curtis of Revere from July 1891 for a ‘Bolt Support and Guide for Safe Doors,’ as well as one from December 1897 for ‘Protective Mechanism for Safe Doors.’